Instead of sweeping goals, why not make one small change?

1.  Smile. Smile at strangers (even if you live in NY and even if you're wearing a mask). People will smile back and it will make everyone including you feel better

2.  Take a Small Bite out of a potential Big Problem--go to the dentist at least once a year before a cavity becomes a crown.

3.  Get up on the Right Side of the Bed - and if that’s too much at least Get Up  

4.  Take a chance and do something you've never done before-but wear a mask.

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5. Enjoy the small stuff - like a tiny taste of chocolate.

6. Simplify. The less you have the more you'll have.

7.  Be Colorful. If you’re a “water” person, try being a "fire" for one day. If you don’t like the effect, don’t worry – they’ll cancel each other out and you can start from scratch.

8. Live in the moment.  Hum the lyrics to Pink's infectious song "“Today's the day I've been waiting for, tomorrow may never come, yesterday is so far away.  Today is the only day!"

9.  Enjoy the sunrise or if you’re a night person enjoy the sunset!              

10.  Travel for fun …or visit a place you’ve never been to in your own town but wear a mask!

11.  Walk and drink water. Start with small steps and small sips and keep going 

12. Be happy with what you have while working for what you want.

14. Even if current events get you down, resolve to make the coming year better than the past.

15. Last, but certainly not least, start the New Year in Style - Wear Bess Heitner Jewelry!

• Some say it started with Cupid, the son of Venus, goddess of love and beauty. This adorable cherub with remarkable aim could make anyone fall in love by simply shooting his magical arrows into their hearts (magical, because they don’t send anyone to the ER, just to an expensive gift shop).                                                                
• And how did love become associated with Valentine’s Day? Long ago, the Roman ruler Claudius II insisted his soldiers remain bachelors so nothing would distract them in battle. Bishop Valentine, a romantic at heart, performed secret weddings for lovers. As a result of this defiance, Valentine was jailed and executed on February 14. While in jail, he wrote a love note to the jailor’s daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine." Thus began a tradition that continues to this day…or so the story goes. Valentine was eventually sainted for this glorious deed. In 1537, England's King Henry VII officially declared February 14 the holiday of St. Valentine

Some fun facts:

• Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine's Day in the late 1800s. This year, more than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine's Day. 
• Over 40,000 Americans work at chocolate factories full time.
• Valentine’s Day is the second biggest holiday for exchanging cards--an estimated 8 billion each year (150 million  in the U.S. alone.) Teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and, yes, pets.
• Americans spend more than $20 billion on Valentine's Day. After candy and flowers, jewelry is the most popular gift - with $4 billion spent each year on trinkets, serious bling, and engagement rings 
• More people get engaged on February 14 than any other day of the year.

 Don't wait a moment longer! Love and time are fleeting, Celebrate Valentine's Day now! 

                                         Aquamarine spray from Pakistan, Museum of Natural History, Lebanon

 Do you know...?

• Aquamarine is a member of the exclusive Beryl family (at the highest end of the gemstone register) rivaled only by its famous relatives Emerald (green beryl), and Morganite (rose beryl). They are costly and travel in the finest circles.

• Depending on the amount of iron in each stone, Aquamarines range in hue from transparent light blue to sky blue to sea-green. The more intense the color the higher the value.  

• Legends claim that this mystical stone, Latin for water of the sea, came from mermaids’ treasure chests and had the power to keep sailors safe at sea (where they were most of the time anyhow).
• Aquamarine has been credited with providing courage, curing laziness and quickening the intellect. In the Middle Ages it was believed to give the wearer both insight and foresight.

                                              Aquamarine specimen from China in Denver Museum

• Water soaked in aquamarine was believed to cure eye troubles, improve breathing, and stop hiccups, reduce fluid retention, relieve anxiety, banish laziness, cure indigestion, insomnia, and seasickness (if you don’t have the gemstone on hand try your local pharmacy for their recommended potion).     

• For deep meditation, aquamarine is the stone of choice bringing great peace and serenity.
• This powerful gemstone also helps couples work out their differences and ensures a long happy marriage. It’s an ideal anniversary gift. In fact, it's the official gemstone for the 19th year of marriage. So if you are celebrating your 19th wedding anniversary and/or got married in March, this is the time to snag some aquamarines for your loved one.

                                                       Brazilian Tourmaline and Aquamarine Pendant

• Aquamarine has been found in incredible sizes and quality. 
• Brazil is the primary source for the finest aquamarines, but fabulous specimens have also been found in Pakistan
• Washington's Museum of Natural History is the new home of the Dom Pedro -- the world's largest aquamarine gem, cut from what was believed to have been the largest gem-quality crystal ever found. Discovered in Brazil, the crystal was then taken to Germany where it was transformed into its current shape by world-renowned gem artist Bernd Munsteiner.      
• Watch a video about this amazing specimen here: 

                                                                                                       

A favorite decoration of both assassins and generals, 'poison rings' could conceal perfume, tiny mementos—or something far more deadly.

The practice began in ancient India and the Far East and moved on to Ancient Rome, where poison rings were often used to commit suicide when a painful death was unavoidable. The legendary Cleopatra relied heavily on a variety of different poisons which she tested on condemned prisoners to see which was fastest and most reliable.

The beautiful Lucrezia Borgia whose name is synonymous with all manner of poisons, was said to be particularly adept at using poison rings to dispose of rivals and political enemies. So powerful is the tradition that to this day in Italy pouring someone a drink while holding the bottle with the back of the hand facing downward, so as to let something drop from a ring bezel, is called versare alla traditora (“traitor’s way of pouring”) and still considered offensive

                                                           .    

During the Sixteenth Century in Europe poison jewelry became wildly popular, Verdi used a poison ring as the vehicle for Lady Lenora to commit suicide in the opera Il trovatore, all so she could stay faithful to her lover. In fact arsenic was so popular and easy to come by that it was nicknamed “the widow’s divorce."

Under the reign of Louis XIV the scandalous l'affaire des poisons occurred where 367 orders of arrests were issued, of which 218 were carried out. Several prominent members of the aristocracy were implicated of poisoning others in the court resulting in 36 people being executed.

Anybody who was anybody all over Europe had royal tasters who would taste their food and drink to make sure it wasn't tainted. Roman Emperor Claudius was killed by poison in AD 54, even though he hired a food taster. Over history, presidents and royal families hired food tasters as well. Adolf Hitler's food taster Margot Wölk tried the food at 8:00 am every day, and, if she did not fall ill, the food would be sent to Hitler's military headquarters. President Vladimir Putin, no stranger to this deadly practice, has a food taster who is part of his security staff to protect himself. Believe it or not, even in the United States, several recent presidents most prominently Barack Obama (1) have been known to employ food tasters. Aside from sampling good food, the post doesnt seem to have room for advancement. Let’s hope the profession paid well at least. 

With a name like “poison jewelry” it’s easy for people to shy away and only seek the story of dark use of these pieces. But as time passed, these have become more than hidden compartments for poison. They are miniature time capsules filled with raw humanity. They were often used as pillboxes, or vessels to hold relics of saints called reliquaries. During the Victorian era they were used to hold cologne, locks of hair, and portraits of loved ones. England’s Queen Victoria popularized mourning jewelry which was often rings and lockets that held hair and photos of departed loved ones.

Today poison jewelry especially pendants are making a comeback with compartments similar to the original designs. The secret compartment usually covered by a large jewel with an elaborate frame can hold anything – a picture, a love note, a prayer,an aspirin, a valium or anything else you might need.

Our current collection contains a select group of “poison” lockets – some vintage and some modern - all lovely. They are one of a kind so pick your poison while you can.  Every locket except the antiques on top is available in my new Fall/Winter 2021 Collection.

1) https://www.businessinsider.com/plenty-of-evidenc...

• When I finally met Mr Right I had no idea his first name was Always. - Rita Rudner
• If you want me to fall for you, you've got to give me something worth tripping over - anon
• I used to be Snow White, but I drifted - Mae West
• Love at first sight is often cured by a second look - anon
• No matter how lovesick you are, don't take the first pill that's handy - Dr. Joyce Brothers
• My husband taught me housekeeping; if we get divorced, I keep the house - Zsa Zsa Gabor
• Before you marry someone, have lunch with his ex-wife. Shelley Winters                
• Love is all you need..but a gorgeous necklace is nice too - Bess Heitner
• "The whole world loves a lover" is an interesting theory, but a very bad legal defense. Keith Sullivan

• A life with love has some thorns, but a life without love has no roses. - anon
• Love is the irresistible desire to be desired irresistibly.   Robert Frost
• Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes - Jim Carrey
• If you want to be loved, be lovable - Ovid
• Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile. - anon
• How do I love thee, let me count the ways - Elizabeth Barret Browning 
• To the world you may be one person...but to one person you may be the world - anon
• The hardest part about moving forward is not looking back. anon

• Love must be as much a light, as it is a flame. Henry David Thoreau
• When women go wrong, men go right after them. - Mae West
• After a quarrel, a husband said to his wife, "You know, I was a fool when I married you." She replied, "Yes, dear, but I was in love and didn't notice."
• What the world needs now is more love and less paperwork - Pearl Bailey
• I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought jewelry - Rita Rudner
• Love is not gazing at each other but looking together in the same direction...Antoine de Saint-Exupery
• An archeologist is the best husband any woman can have; the older she gets, the more interested he is in her... Agatha Christie
• A little kindness from person to person is better than a vast love for all the world - anon
• My candle burns at both ends, it will not last the night; but ah my friends and oh my foes, and, it makes a lovely light - Edna St. Vincent Millay

With bombs still falling day and night, millions of Ukrainians continue to flee the country or relocate west to Lviv. In response, WCK is rapidly expanding our #ChefsForUkraine response to distribute food—including hot, fresh meals—in five countries. We've now opened a kitchen and food supply depot in Poland, right on the border with Ukraine, and have multiple warehouses active in Lviv where trucks are filled with food to head east reaching cities like Odessa and Mykolayiv. We are also supporting more restaurants to serve meals in Ukrainian cities including Kharkiv and Kyiv, which remain under active attack.

The new WCK Relief Kitchen is located in Przemyśl—a Polish city just a few miles from the border with Ukraine that is receiving tens of thousands of refugees every day. From this kitchen, our team has the capacity to scale up and cook 100,000 meals per day utilizing 12 massive WCK paella pans and 12 large ovens.

To reach Mykolayiv, Ukraine—a city targeted by Russian forces—WCK partner Team Humanity leaves Moldova before dawn with fruit, baby food, and more for families in the city. After distributing items, the team then focuses on getting women and children out of the city and to safety in Moldova.

The majority of refugees from Ukraine are currently arriving in Poland, so the WCK team has established 24/7 meal distributions at all eight border crossings. We are serving hot soups and other dishes through the cold nights—and to provide some extra comfort during this incredibly difficult time, we are also serving hot cocoa, tea, and coffee.

Within Ukraine, we are now working with dozens of chefs and restaurant partners across 12 cities to provide meals to those who remain at home or are escaping to other locations within the country. More families are now beginning to stay in Lviv rather than leave Ukraine. The UN estimates over 2 million people are already internally displaced, so the WCK team, alongside our partners in Lviv and other cities across Ukraine, are cooking more meals each day. We are delivering the freshly prepared meals to 50 locations in Lviv alone, and that number goes up daily.

From our WCK warehouses in Lviv, we are also helping fill gaps in the country’s strained food supply chain by sending meat, fresh produce, and dry goods like rice and bulgur to our restaurant partners. Multiple trucks have already gone to Odessa, Mykolayiv, Zolochiv and soon to Kyiv. We are working with the mayor's office in Odessa to deliver bulk food to the city's humanitarian warehouse

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Each of these wonderful jewels will thrill that special woman in your life -- your wife, your girlfriend, your fiancee, your mom, your teacher, your mentor..   And, every one is under $138 during our special Valentine Sale.  

Here are just a few suggestions from many many choices.

• Great for any holiday and all year round,  but especially for Valentine's Day. Don't miss out on the last two Holiday Blossom pieces in our collection.

• If lush pastels turn you on, pair a shimmering silk satin scarf with our 24K ultraplate Venetian Peridot Sasso Pendant 

Getting ready for that special evening out? 

• Vintage Mikimoto pearl heart clutch  
• Chanel powder compact and mirror 
• Yves St Laurent Fire Engine Red Lipstick 
• A radiant one-of-a-kind Bess Heitner mother of pearl marcasite heart necklace                                                                               

Choose the Venetian Pink Gold Dichroic Glass Pendant or the stunning Crystal Mother of Pearl Blossom Collar

Little things mean a lot. This one of a kind Baby Love Venetian Heart features 24K mingled with swirls of ruby, garnet and orange-gold. And two of our website bestsellers are still here for you - the magnificent rhodolite garnet necklace with a vintage garnet silver heart clasp.

Don't miss lots of other great gifts starting at $48 and up to the creme de la creme...

                                        

If you're an October baby you're in good company --geniuses, leaders, creative artists such as...Albert Einstein, Julie Andrews, Alexander McQueen, Gwen Stefani, Hilary Clinton, Groucho Marx, Susan Sarandon, John Lennon, and many many more.

And you're very lucky to have one of the world's most coveted and beautiful gemstones for your birthstone. Tourmaline, aka “the rainbow gemstone”, comes in more colors and combinations than any jewel in the world. Egyptian legends claim that tourmaline traveled from the center of the earth, passed over the rainbow and absorbed every possible hue -- deep black, blue, neon blue, brown, yellow, lime to dark green, red, reddish purple, pink, and clear crystal. 

                                Strawberry Toumaline Collar               Multi Tourmaline 18K Necklace

Do you think you can spot a tourmaline? Think again. Top experts throughout history have been fooled by this vibrant gemstone.

Did you know?

Catherine the Great’s 398.72-carat “ruby” that is mounted on top of the Great Imperial Crown of Russia, that was designed and constructed for her coronation in 1762 is actually tourmaline.

"Brazilian emeralds" sent home by Portuguese colonials for centuries were actually green tourmaline.

            Geometric Brazilian Rhubarb Tourmaline               Green Tourmaline Torsade

Rare and precious "watermelon" tourmaline with a deep pink center and a green rind on the outside like its namesake fruit is supposed to encourage unconditional love.

                                                     Precious faceted tourmaline w. Aquamarine Pendant

Black tourmaline is supposed to banish negativity and depression. However it's significantly more pricey than zoloft.

Many claim (probably not doctors) that tourmaline calms the nerves, fights genetic disorders, regulates hormones, induces tranquility in sleep, relieves arthritis, and helps fight off heart disease. 

                                                  Trillion Cut Brazilian Watermelon Multi-toned Tourmaline

Of all tourmalines, the creme de la creme is Paraiba Tourmaline which in its cut polished form is one of the most valuable gemstones in the world, selling for over $10,000 a karat.

It’s a rare event when a new gem variety causes tremendous excitement in the gemstone world. It happened with tanzanite in the 1960's, but only with the marketing muscle of Tiffany & Co. behind it. The case of Paraiba tourmaline is a different story. The unusual specimen was first discovered in the Brazilian state of Paraiba in 1989 by a dedicated miner named Hector Barbosa who worked the Mina da Bathalha for over 5 years before he found samples of this extremely rare, never before seen form of tourmaline. It was first introduced to the gemstone world at the annual Tucson gem show in early 1990. It caused an immediate sensation. The market demand was so strong, and the supply so limited, that it became nearly impossible for gem dealers to buy stock. Two small deposits were later found in Africa but the prized Paraiba Tourmaline is still from Brazil.

                                                                 Brazilian Raw Paraiba Tourmaline

Click on any of the pictures above to purchase these one of a kind tourmaline gems for your birthday! And as a birthday present for October babies,  enjoy 15% off all tourmaline designs till October 31!

Bess Heitner Jewelry is pleased to debut its new spring 2015 collection on Thurday April 30 7:30-9:30pm to benefit New York Theatre Ballet.

Each new piece is inspired by one-of-a kind sculptures created by nature –amber, coral, unusual pearls, rare shells, and, most particularly, the legendary chambered nautilus shell. Our last  blogpost described how these natural masterpieces stunned Europe when explorers brought them back, inspiring poetry, literature, decorative arts, philosophers and religious leaders who viewed it as a symbol of the universe’s perfection. This collection is called Natural Treasures.

What better place to hold our first trunk show than in the brand new studio of a one-of-a kind company, New York Theatre Ballet, hailed by Dance Magazine as “a miniature American Treasure"

We are longtime fans of this fabulous company. If you don’t know them, you should. 

After losing its Murray Hill studio space of 30 years, NYTB emerged even stronger in a brand new studio in the landmarked St. Mark’s Church, home to an active artistic community since 1799. Get all the details in  New York Theatre Ballet Moves It's Releves downtown, NYT, 2/13/15

Diana Byer, the company’s founder and artistic director, is a legend in her own right. Before founding NYTB in 1978, she was a guest artist with ballet companies throughout the U.S, a soloist with Les Grandes Ballets Canadiens, Manhattan Festival Ballet, New York City Opera Ballet, the Juilliard Ensemble and was trained by the great Antony Tudor and Margaret Craske.. (read more>>)

The company performs classic masterworks and original ballets by emerging choreographers. NYTB has exclusive permission to perform revivals of classics by Antony Tudor as well as works by Agnes de Mille, Merce Cunningham and Jose Limon.  Read NYT review here                                                        

 NYTB has done more than any other company to introduce children of all ages to the joys of dance and art. Their repertoire includes spectacular original one-hour ballets– Alice in Wonderland, Goose, Cinderella, Carnival of Animals, and a shadowbox nutcracker to name a few. And children are frequently featured in their own ballets.

Last, but far from least, NYTB is committed to giving back to the community. Their acclaimed  Project LIFT includes a year-round Study Program for children at risk and homeless. Based on auditions held in shelters and other locations, up to 30 children are enrolled each year – all given partial or full scholarship assistance and other supporting help (clothing, medical care, field trips, mentoring). The study program has won recognition from the White House and the National Endowment for the Arts as a model national program. This program has transformed the lives of so many children, turning several into world class dancers.

                                    PLEASE JOIN US!  THURSDAY APRIL 30 ~ 7:30- 9:30PM

                                          St. Mark's Church,  131 Second Avenue, 2nd floor
                                        (enter on 10th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

                                                                        Please RSVP here 

© AMNH

If you’re in Manhattan during the coming year, don’t miss one of the most extraordinary diamonds in the world, the rare 55.08 carat champagne colored Kimberley diamond on loan to the American Museum of Natural History through June 2014. Cut from a 490-carat crystal discovered in the 19th century at the Kimberley Mine in South Africa, this legendary diamond has been cut twice – once in 1921 and again in 1958 to an emerald shape to bring out its incredible brilliancy.

And that’s not all you’ll see at this fabulous Victorian Gothic museum overlooking Central Park. The American Museum of Natural History is one of my favorite museums in the world. Since I was a kid to this very day, I never miss an opportunity to visit and draw inspiration from their amazing collection of gems and minerals.

The Gem and Mineral Hall has a vast assortment of polished and raw gems including diamonds, sapphires and rubies, emeralds, opals, garnets, synthetic gemstones, and precious metals in all sizes and colors. It is home to two especially fabulous jewels – one of the largest uncut gem quality emeralds in the world, the 12-sided 632 carat

© AMNH

Patricia Emerald discovered in Columbia in 1920 and named for the mine-owner’s daughter; and the extraordinary 2 billion year old 563 carat Star of India, the world’s largest blue sapphire. It was discovered over 300 years ago in Sri Lanka and donated to the museum by J.P. Morgan. This huge dome shaped cabochon creates a radiant, six-pointed star effect from incoming light that reflects needle-like crystals within the sapphire.

The galleries also contain literally tons of rare minerals from all over the world including a 596 lb. topaz crystal from Brazil, a 4.5 ton block of blue azurite/malacihite (see below) discovered in the early 20th century at the Copper Queen mine in Bisbee, AZ, a rare 100 carat orange colored sapphire from Sri Lanka and the 115.75 carat deep purplish red Midnight Star Ruby.

© AMNH

In 1964, like a a scene in a Hitchcock movie, jewel thieves broke into the museum by climbing through a bathroom window they had unlocked hours before the museu

m closed. They made off with the Star of India, the Eagle Diamond, the de Long Ruby and other fabulous gems. Believe it or not, the Star of India and other gems were eventually recovered from a locker in a Miami bus

station, but to this day the Eagle Diamond has not been found and may have been re-cut or lost forever.

If you can’t make it to New York, there are other wonderful collections around the country. To name just two – there’s the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History which boasts a fabulous watermelon tourmaline specimen and huge touchable examples of pyrite or “fool’s gold” and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science which has a 6 ft wall of Rhodochrosite and an actual mine you can enter.

And if you want to explore minerals from the comfort of your computer, tune in to the Mystery of the Hope Diamond on the Smithsonian Channel.

Future posts will discuss the spectacular world of stalactites.